The Darkness Rising
by Salici1
Summary: There will never be peace by The Lake. The clans must fight to survive and only the strongest will stand strong. The characters are the modern clan cats with Earthclan added.
1. Earthclan Cats

**Earthclan **

**Leader**

Lightingstar- Lean black tom with piercing yellow eyes

**Deputy**

Flamefur- Muscular orange tabby tom

**Medicine Cat**

Shinningwater- Brown she-cat with fur that shines in the sun

**Warriors**

Wildclaw- Large gray tom w/ green eyes

Thornpelt**-** Black and white tom (Mate- Squirrelfur)

Longears- Black tom with tall, pointy ears

Mouselegs -Fast brown tom

Raincloud- Smaller blue/gray tom (Greypaw)

Rosepetal- Spunky white calico she-cat (Stonepaw)

Fangfur- Gray tabby tom with large fangs (Mate-Mistcloud)

Stormpelt- Mottled tom (Whitepaw)

Starshine- Small orange she-cat

Burntpelt- Tom w/ black back and white legs

Bristlefur- Ruffled brown tom

Flowerpetal- Pretty white she-cat

Stripedtail- Dark brown tom

Silvermoon- Silver she-cat

Dovespot- White she-cat with white on head

Sharptooth- Large gray tabby tom

Dewbreeze- Dark gray she-cat

Redstorm- Muscular red/orange tom

Whiskertail- Small brown tom

Sunheart- Light orange she-cat

Blazestreak- Longhaired gray/black tom

**Apprentices**

Dappleheart- Small orange she-cat (Shinningwater)

Stonepaw- Gray tabby tom (Rosepetal)

Greypaw- Light gray she-cat (Raincloud)

Whitepaw- White tom (Stormpelt)

**Queens**

Squirrelfur- Brown she-cat with white underbelly (Mate- Thornpelt)

Mistcloud- Bluish/gray she-cat (Mate- Fangfur)

**Kits**

Bluekit- Bluish/gray she-cat (Mistcloud)

Volekit- Small dark brown she-cat (Mistcloud)

Ashkit- Dark gray tom (Mistcloud)

Breezekit- Black tom (Squirrelfur)

Swiftkit- Light mottled tom (Squirrelfur)

**Elders**

Eagleclaw- Large brown tabby tom

Goldeneye- Silver she-cat with golden eyes

Grayclaw- Pale gray tom


	2. Chapter 1 : Tensions Rising

Chapter 1

Tensions Rising

Wildclaw stood at the edge of the Shadowclan border, looking across. The muscular tom curled his lip in disgust as the smell of Shadowclan cats seeped up his nostrils. Besides him stood his best friend, Thornpelt, and the young warrior Sunheart. Sunheart's paws shuffled nervously as she peered over the border line and into the hostile territory.

"I wonder what they're waiting for." Thornpelt growled, his eyes narrowed into slits.

Wildclaw shook his head, not sure. It would be rare if Shadowclan didn't try to hunt on their territory like they had been for the past moon. New-leaf was almost here, but it would be almost a whole more moon. There was a sudden screech that split through the silence. Wildclaw whipped around and scented the air.

"Shadowclan!" He snarled, jumping forward into a run. His thoughts drifted as he wondered how they might have gotten past unnoticed when it hit him. They had followed a fox trail that went through the center of their territory that led to its empty den. The patrol wouldn't have been able to scent the Shadowclan cat's scents. It was so hard to determine which scents were stale, and which were new. They crossed the border so frequently now.

Wildclaw noted to himself that he could scent at least four Shadowclan cats, possibly more and besides those scents he could smell Stormpelt and his apprentice, Whitepaw. Sure enough as Wildclaw, Thornpelt, and Sunheart reached a small clearing, the Shadowclan cats were plainly visible. The bones stuck out of their sides and their pelts were a dull color. Wildclaw recognized Toadfoot, who was hovering over Whitepaw, Owlclaw, Crowfrost, Tawnypelt, and a fifth cat, Tigerheart.

With a yowl he launched himself at the closest cat, which happened to be Tigerheart. The dark brown tabby tom snarled at him and raked his claws down his shoulder, leaving streaking red welts. Wildclaw was surprised he suddenly found himself hitting the ground without knowing what happened. He tried to get up, but his hind legs felt like rock. He hissed in confusion. No Shadowclan move was like that.

Tigerheart curled his lip in victory just as Whitepaw came from behind him. The fit white tom twisted to the side as Tigerheart lashed at him. Gradually Wildclaw regained felling in his leg and he stood up, launching himself once again at Tigerheart. He raked his claws viciously down the tom's muzzle, making the tabby tm duck down in pain. At that moment, he rammed into Tigerheart's side, pushing him over, and he snapped at his paw, catching it and tearing the skin. Tigerheart grunted as he lay there with the air knocked out of him.

"Wildclaw, look out!" Sunheart's yowl split through the sounds of the battle.

He whirled around just as Tawnypelt crashed into.

"Leave my son alone!" She snarled.

Wildclaw felt a pang as he remembered once journeying with this she-cat. He was one of the members who went to the Sun-Drown place in search of Midnight. They had all always known that when they got back their loyalties would be too their clans. Does she feel anything? He wondered for a brief second before her claws lashed at his face. He jumped back to re-position and crouched down, ready to spring when Thornpelt rushed over to him.

"Wildclaw!" He gasped. "We need to retreat. Stormpelt and Whitepaw can't take much more."

Wildclaw looked over at the mentor and apprentice and saw that Thornpelt was right. The Shadowclan cats had caught them off guard and they were severely outnumbered. They were already warn out by the time to aiding patrol got there.

Wildclaw nodded. "Earthclan, fall back to camp!" He yowled and ran over to help Stormpelt. The mottled tom looked exhausted and ready to fall on his paws. A deep gash went from his shoulder up to his back and a nick of his ear with gone. Stormpelt nodded thanks to him as he cleared him a path by batting Toadfoot away and into a thicket bush.

The two toms were the last Earthclan cat's to leave and Wildclaw stopped and looked back at the five Shadowclan cat's who stood triumphantly.

"Fight us one-on-one next time, not some fox-hearted ambush on one warrior and his apprentice." He growled, his tail lashing.

Toadfoot, who had obviously led the patrol, growled and flattened his ears. "Come over here and we'll fight one-on-one and then we'll see who's stronger!" He challenged and Wildclaw hissed back.

"I don't trust the word of crow-food eaters." He shot back and trotted in the direction of his clanmates.


	3. Chapter 2 : Claws of Fury

Chapter 2 : Fury of Claws

(Sun-High)

After Wildclaw had gotten back to camp, the clan was in an uproar. The black senior warrior, Longears, stood with his lip curled and his tail lashing. The small but muscular body of Raincloud stood next to him while the rest of the clan stood near them.

"Will we do nothing?" Raincloud yowled up to Lightingstar, who stood on the Steeprock looking down at his clan. The lean black tom looked Raincloud in the eyes, his yellow eyes looking fiercer than Wildclaw had ever seen in a long time.

Finally, the elderly leader meowed, "No. Prepare to attack. Flamefur will lead a raiding patrol into the Shadowclan border. They must know that we aren't afraid to challenge them even in their own territory. Do not attack the camp, I cannot stress this enough. A full blown out invasion of their camp will only shed blood, which is something that we can't afford to do in Leaf-bare."

Flamefur dipped his head to Lightingstar and the muscular orange tabby tom swept his gaze around the surrounding cats. "Longears, Rosepetal, Burntpelt, Redstorm, Sharptooth, Flowerpetal, Wildclaw, Spottedpelt, and Stripedtail will be going along with me. There will be no apprentices. This is going to get vicious."

The apprentice's tail's drooped in disappointment and Wildclaw twitched his ear. They would have plenty of fights to go too when they're older.

"Earthclan, move out!" Flamefur yowled, leading the way out. The nine warriors followed. Wildclaw ran behind his son, Sharptooth, and in front of his mate, Spottedpelt. He looked behind him at her and she smiled at him. Wildclaw dreaded to think that his beautiful mate could soon be covered in blood. Her own blood.

Wildclaw heard Flamefur's hiss of warning as they neared the Shadowclan border. The patrol slowed from a run to a swift trot. The large patrol crossed into the territory in silence and each cat's ears instinctively shot up. Wildclaw was near the front of the patrol and his clanmates quickly spread into a line, barely able to be heard with the rustling of the trees from the wind. Earthclan cats were cats of stealth and stamina. They can keep going for a long time. Wildclaw could scent a group of Shadowclan cats and soon they saw them in a small clearing. Their fur suddenly bristled as they scented the Earthclan cats and they formed a tight defensive line.

"Into formation!" Flamefur hissed and the patrol formed themselves in two lines, one behind each other. In the front were Rosepetal, Burntpelt, Spottedpelt, and Longears. Directly behind them were Wildclaw, Flamefur, Stripedtail, and Flowerpetal.

The cats reached the clearing and the Shadowclan warriors moved first, charging at the incoming Earthclan warriors. The two lines stopped where they were and waited for the oncoming enemy. The front line crouched down in a defensive position while the line behind them was crouched down. The Shadowclan cats lunged at the front of the line and Wildclaw's line leaped at the same time. They landed behind the enemy and whirled around to face them. Redstorm and Sharptooth each stood on one end of the fighting cats and joined together as two Shadowclan cats came running out of the shadows. The Shadowclan cats, being surrounded, started to leap away from the Earthclan cats surrounding them.

"Let them go." Flamefur yowled to his clanmates as the six Shadowclan cats turned and ran into the trees. Wildclaw ran over to Spottedpelt, whose eyes were shining.

"That went better than I thought." She purred, pressing the side of his fur onto his.

Wildclaw's eyes were narrowed as he peered out into the dark pine forest.

"Yes….too easy." He growled as his eyes darted to the side as he saw a dark figure move. The Earthclan cats began to hiss and growl, their own eyes darted back and forth to every shadow that moved.

"What are you doing?" He yowl interrupted the silence. Wildclaw looked to see a Thunderclan patrol standing on their side of the border a ways away. It was Brackenfur, Birchfall, and Lionblaze. The Earthclan, Shadowclan, and Thunderclan border had a small strip of land where they all three connected together.

Flamefur's gaze didn't move from the shadowy figures moving in the trees. "Thunderclan should worry about their own business." He growled. There was no hostility between the two clans at the time.

Wildclaw slowly padded over to the three toms, his gaze flicking back and forth. "Stay out of this." He meowed quietly to them. "It could get messy." He growled, his green eyes narrowed. Just then, a black figure shot out of the bushes on the Shadowclan side of the border and in knocked Wildclaw over, onto the Thunderclan side of the border. The black tom slashed sharp claws down his side, making Wildclaw wince in pain before he lashed back at the tom, catching his ear.

"Well now that you're on our side of the border, it is our business." Brackenfur growled and lunged at the black tom.

Wildclaw could hear his clanmates fighting fiercely against the fresh Shadowclan cats. A tabby she-cat leapt at him and with a hiss he bit into her forepaw, drawing blood. She screeched in pain and rage and raked claws across the top of his head.

Lionblaze had leapt besides him and was already pushing the she-cat back. Wildclaw watched as the young tom drove the she-cat back and back even further. Every blow that she swung at him was easily dodged and matched with perfectiveness. With a hiss, the she-cat turned and fled. Lionblaze went over to Wildclaw.  
"You alright?" He asked.

Wildclaw narrowed his eyes and stood up, grunting in pain as he put pressure on his hind paw. "I'm fine, and I see that you are too." He added and he saw something flashed behind the golden tom's eyes. The tom was a good fighter, he would give him that. He stood besides the Thunderclan warrior, standing taller than him.

"Yea, I'm fine." Lionblaze meowed, almost hesitantly.

"Shadowclan, retreat!"

Wildclaw turned and looked and watched as the remaining Shadowclan cats retreated into the darkness and he stepped onto the Shadowclan side of the border once more. Flamefur walked over to the Thunderclan cats.

"Don't expect Earthclan to give you anything because you scratched a few Shadowclan cats." He growled, his eyes narrowed. Flamefur has always been on-the-edge with the other clans and he most likely always will be. He shot a glare at Wildclaw, saying that this was his fault that they intervened. The two toms didn't get along well at all. They had trained together and Flamefur had always envied Wildclaw for his bigger size and fighting ability. He had tried to make friends with the defensive tom.

Brackenfur narrowed his eyes back at Flamefur. "We wouldn't expect anything. We were simply defending our borders."

Flamefur snorted quietly then flicked his tail, grouping his patrol together. "Lets go home." He meowed. "I doubt Shadowclan will be trying anything, for awhile at least."

He began to lead the patrol back home, each cat following slowly whether the cat was limping or waiting for their clanmate to catch up. Wildclaw followed last and stopped to look back at the battle-field. Fur mixed with dirt and blood was everywhere from small patches to large. He silently nodded to the Thunderclan patrol, thanking them for their help. They nodded back and Wildclaw carried on walking back to camp.


	4. Chapter 3 : You Don't Belong

Chapter 3

Recovery

(Night-fall)

After the attacking patrol got back to camp, Shinningwater and Dappleheart franticly ran around and trying to tend everyone's wounds as quickly and efficiently as they could. Whitepaw and Rosepetal were in the medicine cat den. Whitepaw was exhausted after the battle and had a long bloody cut going from the top of his shoulder down to his chest. He's proud of his first battle scar. Rosepetal wrenched her shoulder badly and Shinningwater wants to make sure it heals properly.

Wildclaw yawned from where he sat in the clearing of the camp with a fresh wad of cobwebs and a clump of marigold was on his side from where the black tom had slashed him. It was sore, but it would heal quickly and properly.

Fangfur was at the entrance of the camp with his ears pricked up and his eyes alert for any sign of a threat. Shadowclan might try to retaliate after their loss.

Lightningstar walked up the Steeprock and he looked out at his battle-torn clan. "Our battle skills have once again given us victory over our enemy! We must not let our guard down though. Tensions will still be high for a long time."

For the first time in awhile Wildclaw noticed that Lightningstar's muzzle was almost pure white and his coat didn't shine like it used too. Wildclaw was a middle-aged warrior, but he had the respect of many. He had been on of the cats that had been chosen to find the clans a new home that seemed like so long ago. Him as well as Thornpelt was chosen. Tensions were high even with Windclan. The scrawny and fast cats had been trying to hunt mice rather than staying on the moore for their rabbits. Thunderclan and Riverclan were neutral. For now.

The clan cheered as Lightningstar spoke. "Everyone should get a good nights rest." The black tom jumped down.

Groups of cats were quietly discussing with each other about the events of the day and Wildclaw flicked his tail and stood up, walking over and into the warrior's den. He curled up in his nest, which was next to Spottedpelt's, and he drifted off into sleep….

He woke with a start as Fangfur's terrified and urgent screech split through the night. Heads shot up and rushed out of the den, Wildclaw being on of them. Wildclaw gasped as he scented Shadowclan and Windclan scents mixed together. The Earthclan warriors stood with there fur bristling in a line in the clearing of the camp with the enemy warriors standing in front of them. Lightningstar stepped forward, looking at Blackstar.

"Blackstar! What is the meaning of you and Windclan together?" The white tom with huge black paws curled his lip.

"Earthclan doesn't belong here. They never have." Lightningstar's eyes flashed with confusion. "Earthclan had always been here! We were formed during the same time and at the same place as all the other clans! We have always lived among you."

Blackstar snarled, silencing him. "Times have changed! All of the clans are growing stronger and larger, so things must be done!" "Things like trying to drive a clan away?" Blackstar's eyes were cold and dark. "We leave all possibilities open for answers."

Lightningstar hissed and unsheathed his claws. "So you're going to do like all the clans did to Skyclan? Drive on out because you say you can!"

Blackstar growled, his eyes narrowed. "Remember, Lightningstar, that Earthclan was apart of that as well. Soon Riverclan will agree with us and even Thunderclan will."

Lightningstar growled, his own eyes narrowed. "So you're going to try and send us away now then?" He snarled. "Good look, Blackstar. Your cats are already wounded and Windclan cats are no match for Earthclan cats."

Wildclaw agreed with Lightningstar. He wasn't bragging, it was the truth. The scrawny and small Windclan cats couldn't beat the hard muscled and large Earthclan cats that were known for their strength in battle. A few hisses and taunts came from the Windclan cats but the Earthclan line stayed where they were.

"The gathering is tomorrow. When you get there you will find out that you aren't welcome anymore, even by your Thunderclan friends. I suggest leaving now before your cats die." He flicked his tail and the large patrol filed out of the camp, leaving it silent for a moment before a large outburst ran through the camp.

"Quiet!" Flamefur's loud, deep voice rang through the camp, silencing everyone. "Silvermoon, Dewbreeze, Stripedtail, Whickertail, and Blazestreak, making they've gone." The five cats nodded and ran out of the camp.

Lightningstar waited until they had ran out before meowing, "This is a serious situation-"He paused before continuing. "We can't take on all of Shadowclan and Windclan and possibly even Riverclan and Thunderclan. We may have to consider leaving." The clearing broke out into a frantic yowl. "Silence!" Lightningstar yowled and again the clan quieted.

"I know that this is the last thing that you wanted to happen and it's the same for me. If it means living or dying though, then we must leave." The clan was silent as they thought about this for a moment. Even the kits were listening to this, seeing that they would be told eventually anyway. "Past Windclan's territory are the mountains; we can't live there, but there is also Two-leg Place…."

Before the clan could interrupt him again with flicked his tail. "It's not far passed the Horse-Place so it would be a hard journey. Remember that this isn't for sure going to happen, but we must be prepared. Everyone go back to sleep. I think we will need it tomorrow."

The Earthclan leader walked into his den with Flamefur and Shinningwater following.

Wildclaw shook his head. How could this be happening?


	5. Chapter 4 : Talk

Chapter 4

Talk

(Sunrise to Sun-High)

Wildclaw opened his groggy eyes and looked around the warrior's den. It was mostly empty except for Thornpelt, Raincloud, and Dovespot who did the Dawn Patrol. Wildclaw yawned and stoop up and walked out, careful not to wake any of the others. The camp clearing was busier and louder than normal.

Stonepaw's fur was bristling and his meow could be heard from a distance away. "Those fox-hearts attacked the hunting patrol that just got back! The patrol couldn't even fight back because there were so many of them! At least 20! They've scared all the prey in the whole territory most likely, too!" He was telling his sister, Greypaw.

Wildclaw looked and saw his mate, Spottedpelt, along with Sunheart and Sharptooth looking out of breath like they had just ran. He trotted over and Spottedpelt briefly explained what happened. It was similar to what he heard Stonepaw say, except that instead of 20 warriors after them there were about six; three from Shadowclan and three from Windclan. Wildclaw saw that Dappleheart just walked back in with Shinningwatrer with their jaws full of herbs. Odd time to stock up now….he thought and went to offer himself up for a patrol.

Lightningstar walked out of his den and into the clearing of the camp where everyone could see him. "Flamefur, Shinningwater, Wildclaw, Spottedpelt, Stripedtail, Mouselegs, Bristlefur, Burntpelt, and Sunheart will be going to the gathering tonight. No apprentices."

Wildclaw could see that the cats chosen were strictly good fighting cats. Of course there were other great fighters in the clan that just these ones. Some had to stay back and guard the camp. Wildclaw nodded to Spottedpelt then went over to Flamefur.

When the orange tom saw him he meowed, "Wildclaw, take Greypaw and Raincloud hunting on the Thunderclan side of the territory where there's been less activity."

Wildclaw nodded and he summoned the two cats over. The three of them trotted out of the camp in silence. The whole time that he was running Wildclaw kept his ears pricked for any sign of a threat. The forest didn't seem as safe to him anymore. Around each tree there could be an enemy patrol that was bold enough to enter Earthclan's territory. His hackles were rising at the very thought of it and his neck fur began to bristle.

"Wildclaw, is something wrong?" Raincloud quickly asked from behind him.

Wildclaw shook his head and they kept their steady trot to the Thunderclan side of the territory. Raincloud and Greypaw went together and Wildclaw went the opposite direction. He scented the air and paused a moment with his ears pricked up. They angled slightly to the right as they picked up the sound of something scuffling in the undergrowth. He crouched down and crept towards it, keeping low to the ground and walking silently. He stopped and peered through a bush to see a squirrel. It was trying to crack open a beech nut. Wildclaw moved forward but a robin suddenly flew from the bushes that he was near, alerting to squirrel.

"Fox'dung!" He hissed under his breath and he leapt at the closest prey, which was the robin. He dragged it down and killed it with a quick bite to the neck. "Thank Starclan for this prey-" He stopped mid-sentence and gave a moment to think about Starclan. "Don't you care about what's happening to us? What could happen?"

He growled under his breath and picked up the dead bird. It was fat but it wouldn't make up for the lost squirrel that was even bigger.

He heard a scampering and he bunched his hind legs and jumped over a small bush, landing on a mouse on the other side.

He retrieved his robin and saw Raincloud and Greypaw emerging from the nearby bushes. Raincloud had a small rabbit in his jaws and Greypaw had two voles. The two warriors nodded and began to walk back to camp. They arrived back at camp and that the sun-high patrol was being send out. He didn't realize that they had been gone for so long. The hunting patrol dropped their catches on the fresh-kill pile and they went their own ways.

Wildclaw saw down in the sun and began to groom his fur, seeing that it had mats in it from the hunt. Stonepaw was peering inside the elder's den , his eyes wide.

Wildclaw stood up and walked over to the tom. "Is everything alright?" He asked and Stonepaw shrugged.

"I don't want to in there alone without back-up. It can get dangerous." Wildclaw laughed.

"Why don't you ask Greypaw to help you?"

Stonepaw shook his head. "She's playing with Whitepaw right now. I want her to keep Whitepaw company."

Wildclaw raised his head then nodded. "How about I go in with you. I think my father would like me to visit more often, even if he sees me every day."

He walked into the tightly fitted den to see Eagleclaw and Goldeneye crouched in front of Bluekit, Volekit, Ashkit, Breezekit, and Swiftkit. He glanced back at Stonepaw.

"It seems that the kits are braver than you." Stonepaw curled his head down in embarrassment and Wildclaw flicked his tail to say that he meant to offense.

"I was pinned down by two Shadowclan warriors but I threw them off me and jumped up to face them again! I threw the first one to the ground and I turned to the second one to fight him but- "He paused for a dramatic affect and the five kits gasped, their eyes wide. "But he had turned and ran!"

Wildclaw purred at his father's stories but what sometimes scared him was that many of them were not stories. Eagleclaw was well-known throughout all of the clans or his courage and bravery. When he was younger he was an elite fighter. Few could actually be a challenge for him.

Eagleclaw grinned when he saw Wildclaw enter and Goldeneye began to usher the kits out. "All of you, out before I eat you!"

The kits squealed and rushed out, Volekit tripping over Bluekit on the way out.

Wildclaw sat down. "You really shouldn't scare them with your stories." Eagleclaw shrugged. "That's all they are, stories."

Wildclaw gave his father a knowing look and then turned to Stonepaw. "Well, go ahead and change their nests then."

The grey tabby tom nodded quickly and began to clear out the flattened nests and replace it with new moss. Grayclaw snored in his sleep and Goldeneye rolled her unusual golden eyes. "Sometimes I think I'm sleeping with a Monster more than I am a cat!"

Wildclaw purred quietly and sat down, his face suddenly serious. "What do you think about everything that's going on?"

Eagleclaw's eyes were worried. "I can't think that Earthclan will actually leave, but I suppose it's best to be sure."

Goldeneye nodded her agreement.

Wildclaw opened his mouth to say more when Flamefur called for all the cats going to the gathering.

"Be careful." Eagleclaw meowed to his only son and Wildclaw nodded briefly before hurrying out into the clearing.

The cats that had all been chosen were surrounding the entrance of the camp, all turned towards Lightningstar and Flamefur.

"Be cautious and don't start anything. We can't afford to fight when all of the clans care there at the same time. We couldn't win, and it is still a gathering, no matter what Shadowclan and Windclan says."

There were a few nods of agreement but most of the heads remained still. Lightningstar turned around and ran out of the entrance with his clanmates following close behind.

Shinningwater ran in front of him and before they left he looked at her, telling her to stay close to him. She nodded in understanding and they ran out together.


	6. Chapter 5 : Decided

Chapter 5

Decided

(Nightfall)

Wildclaw could see eyes watching his and his clanmates every move. Shinningwater's fur pricked with anxiety and he looked back and gave her a hopefully encouraging smile. The Earthclan cats reached the fallen log that they had to cross to get to the gathering and one by one they walked across.

Wildclaw motioned for Shinningwater to go first and she nodded and stepped onto the log and gracefully walked across. Wildclaw peered behind him and narrowed his eyes. He could still see cats watching him. He bared his teeth and snarled at the shadows. Did he see one flinch? Cowards.

He jumped onto the log and walked across, having to dig his claws into the ice so he wouldn't slip. He landed on the other side onto The Island and he hurried over to his clanmates. All off the other three clans were there and it seemed as though they had been there for awhile. Lightningstar padded calmly over to where the leaders sat and he jumped up. Wildclaw could almost hear the creaking of his bones as he did so. Blackstar hissed and rammed his head into Lightningstar's side. The black tom's paws slipped from under him and he hit the ground below with a small thump and a grunt.

Flamefur snarled at Blackstar and ran over to Lightninstar, who was already puashing himself up to look at Blackstar. The other Earthclan cats were standing in front of the Shadowclan cats with their claws unsheathed.

"I told you yesterday to leave, Lightninstar."

Lightninstar curled his lip in disgust at the Shadowclan leader. "You know Earthclan cats. We don't give up without a fight."

Blackstar laughed and looked at him pitifully. "Really Lightningstar, do you think that you can beat us." He made it a statement, not a question. He continued, "Now, Riverclan has agreed Shadowclan and Windclan as well."

Wildclaw looked at Mistystar in shock. Their eyes met and she was forced to look away.

"Why, Mistystar?" Lightninstar rasped. "What has Earthclan ever done to Riverclan?"

Mistystar shook her head, not saying anything.

Blackstar smirked at the Earthclan cats. "She doesn't have to explain herself to you."

Wildclaw couldn't believe that Riverclan would want them gone. His eyes narrowed as he tried to see their pelts better over the darkness. Were those battle wounds on them? Spottedpelt seemed to notice the same thing and they glanced at each other.

Lightninstar looked at Firestar in an almost desperate plea. "And what do you say, Firestar?"

The orange tom shook his head and looked to the other three leaders. "How could you even dare to think of this? The same thing happened to Skyclan and cats _died!" _

Blackstar growled at Firestar. "Of course, the mighty Thunderclan trying to help everyone in need and save everyone. That could be expected from a leader who's a kittypet."

The Thunderclan cats bristled and stood up, their eyes flashing.

Wildclaw noted that Thunderclan brought to apprentices, either. He saw Lionblaze, Dustpelt, Thornclaw, Birchfall, Squirrelflight, Cinderheart, and Foxleap grouped together.

Lightningstar stepped forward closed to the tree were the other leaders were. "Firestar, do not endanger your own clan for us. If you get involved their will be endless bloodshed and eventually, cats would die."

Firestar hesitated then dipped his head gratefully to old leader and opened his mouth to say more but Onestar butted in.

"If Earthclan is not gone in two-sunrises, then we will use force against you and force you to leave."

Lightingstar's bright yellow eyes flashed at Onestar. "Don't you remember how it was when Shadowclan drove Windclan away from its home back at the Forest? Well this is worse! Instead of one clan against you there are three."

There was a flash of regret from the tom's eyes but then it faded. "This is necessary for the survival of all the other clans. If you leave peacefully we will honor that. Your honor will be safe."

"You fox-heart, piece of fox-dung! Do you think that we care about our _honor _at a time like this!" Wildclaw had never seen Lightningstar so angry.

Onestar seemed surprised as well. The Windclan leader took a step back in surprise.

"Whatever happens to Earthclan, we_ will _be back and when we are, you all will regret what you've done."

The Earthclan cats yowls and screeches echoed through the night and Wildclaw joined in for a moment before looking at the other clans. The Windclan cats were trying to cover up their fear, but Wildclaw could smell it, even coming from Onestar. The Shadowclan cats looked hesitant but still very eager while Riverclan looked more…. sad. The Thunderclan cats looked around wearily, not really sure what to do.

"Earthclan, we're leaving!" Lightningstar yowled and turned around and ran out towards the entrance.

Wildclaw waited until the rest of his clanmates ran forward before a he followed. He heard angry yowls from behind him and he whipped around just as he was reaching the fallen log.

"You fox-hearts don't have anything to be angry about so stop your whining!"

He turned and ran across the log. The Earthclan cats were quickly making their way home and they had gotten half-way when Lightningstar started wheezing.

Shinningwater hurried up to him and looked at Flamefur. "He can't keep running like this! It's too hard on him."

Flamefur looked behind him and saw shadowy figures streaking towards them a while back.

"We have to choice. We have to keep moving."

Lightningstar nodded quickly. "Yes, we do. I can keep up." He meowed and continued running again, his stride seeming to be steadier than before.

Wildclaw wondered how he did it. They entered their own territory and Flamefur looked at Mouselegs.

"Mouselegs, run back to camp fast and tell them to be ready encase there is an attack."

The fast tom nodded and took off, kicking up leaves as he ran. Wildclaw could hear yowls behind them, though they seemed to stop at the border and yowled victory. He snorted and growled. If they called a victory when triple the amount of cats were chasing them and they hadn't even turned to fight a victory, then fine.

The cats reached the camp and Thornpelt rushed over to meet them. Flamefur has left the black and white tom in charge of the camp while they were gone. Lightningstar stood with his legs now shaking from the effort of running. Shinningwater began ushering him into his den.

"You need to rest." She meowed smoothly and he agreed without complaint.

"Flamefur, please inform the clan on what happened at the gathering and what was decided."

The broad shouldered tom nodded and jumped onto the lowest part of the Steeprock so that he was just a little above them.

"Shadowclan, Windclan, and Riverclan are all against us now. They said that they give us two sunrises to leave or they'll make us leave by force."

The warriors growled and unsheathed their claws, their eyes narrowed into determination. Flamefur shook his head.

"When Lightningstar, Shinningwater, and I spoke last night he made it clear that we are not to engage in a full force attack that will most likely be coming." He hesitated to continue. "We basically have one choice and I think we know what that is. It was discussed earlier…"

The clan was silent until Wildclaw meowed, "Leave."


	7. Chapter 6 : leaving

Chapter 6

Leaving

(Sunrise-Sunfall)

It was the second day after the gathering and the camp was rushing about. Shinningwater was giving herbs to Graypaw, Whitepaw, and Stonepaw while Squirrelfur and Mistcloud were trying to bride the kits into eating traveling herbs.

"I don't want to go!" Volekit wailed and she ran back into the nursery. Wildclaw went over to Thornpelt and nodded to him.

The black and white tom nodded back and meowed, "Hunting patrols just got back. Lightningstar says we'll be leaving shortly."

Wildclaw nodded again and looked over at the fresh-kill pile. It was heaped with mice and a fat squirrel and a thrush was on top of it. He sighed and thought of how they were giving such a prey-rich territory away to those fox-hearts. He wondered how they would split it up…. Maybe, if they were lucky, it would turn them on each other.

Wildclaw picked up three mice by their tails and carried them over to Eagleclaw, Grayclaw, and Goldeneye and dropped them next to Eagleclaw. "You all have to eat something."

Grayclaw, the oldest cat in the clan, nodded his pure white muzzle and bent over stiffly to grab a mouse.

"Thank you." Eagleclaw meowed with a nod and Wildclaw turned and walked over to his kits, Shaptooth, Dovespot, and Silvermoon.

"This is going to be a big change." Sharptooth meowed and Dovespot nodded.

"How are we going to survive in two-leg place on our own?"

Spottedpelt came over and rested her tail on her daughter's shoulder. "We'll find a way. We always do."

Wildclaw nodded and glanced at Sharptooth. The gray tabby tom stood almost the same height as he did and his strong, broad shoulders were similar features between the father and son. Dovespot and Silvermoon both had their mother's beauty and agile bodies with smaller frames. He was proud of all of them.

"Cats of Earthclan, the time has come!" Lightningstar's yowl made Wildclaw turn to look at the black tom. "We head to two-leg place now until we can find a better suited territory. The journey should not take long. We should be there by night-fall. The apprentices are carrying the most vital herbs. Warriors, stay on the outside to guard the apprentices, kits, queens, and elders. Some warriors will switch off to help carry the kits if needed."

Thornpelt, Squirrelfur, Mistcloud, Wildclaw's old apprentice, and Fangfur were all holding a kit in their jaws. A wind blew through the camp and every cat was silent until Lightningstar broke it.

"Starclan has not abandoned us." He meowed firmly. "Even they couldn't prevent this from happening. They will watch over us from wherever we are."

Shinningwater and Dappleheart were nodding and others joined in.

"Earthclan, let's move." Lightningstar flicked his tail and walked out, slowly followed by the rest of his clanmates. Wildclaw was the last to leave along with Stripedtail.

"Two-leg place can be harsh on cats, especially on clan cats that have never lived in that sort of environment before."

Stripedtail had been a rouge until the dark brown tom was found wounded by a badger in Earthclan's territory so many moons ago. Shinningwater healed him and he got to love clan life so he stuck with it.

Wildclaw nodded. "Lightningstar said that you would help guide the clan."

Stripedtail nodded and looked a little doubtful. "I don't know this exact two-leg place, but I do know many of the threats there are in it. Now come on. We'd better catch up to the others."

The two toms ran out of the camp side-by-side until they caught up to their clanmates. Stripedtail walked on ahead towards the front while Wildclaw slowed to walk next to Dewbreeze and Redstorm, Flamefur's kits.

"Hey, Wildclaw." Redstorm meowed in greeting.

"Hey." He meowed simply in return.

Redstorm and Sharptooth were close friends, so he often went out with the orange tom. The Earthclan cats reached the end of the clan's territories and they all stopped and looked back from the kill they were on.

"I can't believe we're actually leaving." Wildclaw heard a cat meowed, recognizing Burntpelt's meow.

Lightningstar didn't look back or stop, he just kept on walking. One by on the clan followed… It was near Nightfall now and the sun was sinking in the vast sea of blue. Spottedpelt was the first to spot the lights of two-leg place and the clan upped their sharpness.

"Thunderpath." Flamefur growled and crouched on the side of the roaring black path.

"There's no way everyone can cross that!"

Dappleheart meowed, her eyes wide with fear. Lightningstar looked around and saw what he was looking for; a tunnel under it.

"Follow me." He meowed and trotted over to the dark hole.

On the other side you could see light.

"I'll go first." Wildclaw offered and Lightningstar nodded and stepped aside so he could get through.

"Everyone will have to go one at a time." He meowed and entered it, having to duck his head down from hitting the top. Wildclaw wrinkled his nose in disgust at the smell of Monsters and dirty water.

When he neared the other side he could hear a small trickling of water and he hurried forward, but not too fast. He reached the end and cautiously peered out of it to see a small creek-like thing running near the Thunderpath. He crept out and headed down the bank towards it and he peered in the water. It looked clean and he was surprised to see a frog. It took one look at him and hopped away before he could try to catch it.

Wildclaw looked back at the amber eyes that were looking down at him.

"It's clear."

He meowed and each of the cats hastily made their way out of the small tunnel.

In front of them was a big white building. With Monsters parked all around it.

"Whoa…." He heard a kit meow in awe, having never seen anything like it.

Stripedtail walked forward to stand next to Lightningstar.

"I suggest that we follow this water-way and see where it leads."

Lightningstar nodded and trotted alongside it.

"We're going to need to find a place to spend the night."

The Earthclan cats walked along it until they came to a big mouth where the water funneled into.

"If we go in there we'll come out as fish!" Raincloud meowed and Swiftkit yelped and huddled behind his mother, Squirrelfur.

"I can tell you're obviously not from around here."

The warriors whipped to their side with their fur bristling. A big dark brown tabby tom was sitting on a small two-leg building. (A shed)

"Who are you?" Lightningstar's asked, his eyes narrowed.

The tom jumped down and stood in front of Wildclaw.

"Names Pepper, and who are all of you?"

Lightningstar hesitated before answering, "We are one of five clans. Earthclan."

Pepper nodded quickly and sat down. "I was actually guessing that you were a clan, just by the way you acted crossing the Thunerpath."

"You were watching us?" Flamefur growled, his neck fur bristling.

Pepper shrugged and completely ignored Flamefur's hostility.

"I know everything that happens here."

"Pepper."

A call came from nearby and a dark gray tom emerged from behind a building. His eyes went wide as he saw the clan cats and he stopped in his tracks.

"It's alright, Flash, their friendly enough."

He gave a half-way grin to Flamefur, who bristled up even more.

Flash hesitated before walking over to Pepper. "I came to report that there was another attack…"

Pepper's grin faded quickly and him and Flash turned around so the clan cats couldn't hear. Pepper turned around once again and looked at Lightningstar.

"I see that you're the leader of this….Earthclan, so I will address to you. First off, why are you here? I can see you have kits and old-ones with you so this isn't an invasion."

When Lightningstar didn't say anything Pepper sighed and swayed his tail back and forth.

"Look, we can't help you if you don't work with us here."

Lightningstar took in a deep breath and summed up why they were here. Pepper and Flash listened intently and when he was done, Pepper flicked his ear.

"So, you come to live here."

Lightningstar nodded. "Just for a time, though we're not sure how long."

Pepper thought a moment before nodding slowly.

"Alright, Flash, gather up all of the town rouges and call for a meeting at the usual spot. Fetch Blaze and Heather first and tell them to come here, please."

Flash nodded and took off. Wildclaw could see how he got his name. He was as fast as a Windclan cat.

Pepper turned back to the clan. "My friends and

I will help you survive here, seeing if we don't you won't last more than a few sunrises." A calico she-cat and a long-furred orange tom came running up to Pepper.

"You called." The tom called Blaze meowed to Pepper.

"Yes, we have a few visitors that will be staying with us for a time. I was thinking of having them go to The Hill. They're clan cats."

Blaze and Heather nodded to each other and looked back at Pepper.

"That'll probably be the best spot for them." Heather meowed.

"It's settled then, you all can live at The Hill. Follow us, please."

Pepper meowed and began leading the clan cats in towards two-leg place then he stopped and looked at Lightningstar.

"It could get very hard trying to have so many cats go through two-leg place at once. I suggest that you split up."

The clan bristled and burled their lips at Pepper. Pepper shook his head.

"I'm not asking, I'm _telling_. If you're going to able to survive here you have to listen to the experts."

Lighningstar reluctantly agreed.

Wildclaw was assigned the first group to Pepper as their leader. He would go first with Thornpelt, Longears, Raincloud, Flowerpetal, Sunheart, Stonepaw, and Eagleclaw. The second group, which would be led by Heather, would have warriors, the medicine cats, and half of the kits in it. The last group would be led by Blaze, who would lead the remaining warriors, apprentices, queens, kits, and elders.

Wildclaw's group would secure the area and make sure it was safe by the time the others arrived.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Pepper meowed and started off.


	8. Chapter 7 : A New Home

Chapter 7

A New Home

(Sun-fall)

Pepper led the eight cats across two-leg path after two-leg place. Wildclaw had been in two-leg place before, but to his clanmates this was a totally new and different world. The big tabby form of Pepper was walking confidently ahead at a quick pace.

Wildclaw kept close behind him followed by Thornpelt and the others. He looked back at his father and saw that he was getting tired out. It was all a long trip for an elder.

"Pepper, we have to slow down a bit. Eagleclaw's an elder and can't walk as fast as us."

Pepper stopped and looked back and hesitated before answering, "I mean to disrespect to Eagleclaw, but if he doesn't want to sleep out in the open, then I suggest he should keep up. The rest of your clanmates are depending on securing the area where you will live, though it's unneeded." He twitched his ear slightly and looked at Eagleclaw.

Longears stepped forward. "You have no right to talk to an elder like that! He-"

Eagleclaw stepped forward, cutting him off. "No, Longears. Pepper is right. I will not slow this patrol down. Now let's get moving. We've wasted enough time talking and besides, I've caught my breath now."

Pepper nodded approval and headed forward again. "Not much further now, anyways. This two-leg place is very small compared to some."

Stonepaw's eyes widened. "You mean there's more two-leg places, and bigger than this one?"

Pepper looked back and nodded, leaving Stonepaw speechless.

Pepper flicked his tail, motioning for the others to stop. "I know you clan cats mark your territory, but here in two-leg place, you will not set markers. That's for every cat, even if certain cats say that the whole of two-leg place is theirs."

He twitched his ears, irritated.

"You can mark your scent markers on the forest stretch of two-leg place, but nowhere else."

The patrol seemed to accept that so Pepper turn up and looked at tall objects, hard to see in the fading light.

"We call this The Hill. Cats from two-leg place usually never hunt here, but there are a few that do. Curious kittypets tend to wonder up there."

He shook his head and continued.

"There's a hostile group of cats that call themselves the Shadow Stalkers. They are friends to no body and tend to come out at night, so don't wonder around at night alone. If you do need to for some reason, travel in large groups, that way you might have a chance in winning in a fight. The only other major thing that you'll have to worry about is dogs. This is two-leg place, so there are a lot of them and sometimes they'll escape. Don't attack right away unless they do. Odds are that it's not hostile, but instead a pampered ball of fur."

The patrol listened intently so they could pass this vital information onto their clanmates.

"If you have any questions, you'll be able to find me and some of my friends there."

In the fading light you could just make out a small, square building.

"It's an abandoned two-leg building. One last thing; if a kittypet walks into your territory, don't attack right away. We want to have this two-leg place as peaceful as it can be without having high-strung cats everywhere."

Wildclaw nodded to Pepper. "Are you going to check it out with us?"

He asked and motioned to their new home.

Pepper shook his head.

"I've been up there once. You shouldn't have any trouble and it's not that big of a place so you'll be able to check it pretty quickly. I have to get back to my home before night sets in."

Widlclaw nodded and dipped his head to Pepper. "We're in your dept."

Pepper shook his head. "No, that's just what most of us do around here."

He turned and ran off, soon to be swallowed up by the shadows of the night. Wildclaw turned to the patrol.

"Let's do this quickly before the others arrive."

He turned to the forested hill and began in a slow trot. When they reached the base of it they stopped and looked up.

"Bigger than it looks." Thornpelt meowed and moved forward.

They reached the top of the hill and were suddenly enclosed by vegetation. Wildclaw smiled. This was more like it.

"We don't have much time, so maybe we should split up in two patrols." He suggested.

Longears nodded. "Good idea. I'll take Flowerpetal, Stonepaw and Sunheart. Wildclaw, you can lead Thornstripe, Raincloud, and Eagleclaw. Remember what Pepper said. Don't take too long."

They all nodded and Wildclaw's patrol moved to the left. As they walked in gradually began to slow downwards until they were walking on a nearly flat ground. They neared some two-leg dens and Wildclaw stopped and looked at his patrol.

"It looks like this is as far as it goes. Not much is it….."

"No, but it's better than nothing." Eagleclaw meowed.

"Now let's get back to the clearing. The others should be here soon."

Wildclaw nodded and the patrol turned around and headed back. From what they saw, the forested area was surrounded by two-leg dens and buildings. It consisted of oak and maple trees with one enormous Weeping Willow tree. Its vines hung nearly to the ground and in the center was a gigantic trunk with a hollow high up with branched surrounding it. It would make an ideal spot for squirrel hunting. Another area that could be used as a good landmark was a group of tightly packed boulders. The highest of the rocks would make a good lookout spot of much of the territory, since the undergrowth decreased in this part. They didn't find much anything else or interest except for a few stale cat scents and a big fallen log that was leaned up against a fallen tree. The inside of it had rotted away, leaving a big cleared hole in the center of it. Raincloud had climbed through it to see it was safe to walk on. He was the smallest, so it was logical.

The patrol was nearly there when Eagleclaw gave a warning hiss. Everyone crouched down and remained silent. They were nearly to the clearing and they were high above the two-leg dens.

Wildclaw peered through the trees and at first didn't see anything until he saw dark movements near the closest two-leg building. He couldn't see how many there were. They seemed to appear and then melt back into the shadows of the cover of darkness. When the mysterious cats headed away from them Wildclaw sat up.

"I wonder if those were the Shadow Stalkers that Pepper had mentioned." Thornpelt shuddered slightly.

"I can see where they got their name from."

The group carried on until they saw Longear's patrol. Wildclaw bound forward towards them.

"Did you find anything suitable?" He asked eagerly.

Longears nodded with a small smile.

"Yes, maybe a place where our camp can be. It's not huge, but this territory isn't either."

They looked as they saw the second group making their way up the hill with Heather in the lead. She nodded to Wildclaw when they got to the top.

"Pepper head home?" She asked and Wildclaw nodded. She nodded and flicked her tail.

"That's were I'll be going after Blaze gets hear with his group. It's safer to travel in pairs, at least."

Wildclaw nodded understandment.

Lightningstar was behind Heather and Wildclaw and Longears came forward to report what they found. Longears described the place where he thought was a suitable place for their new camp and what Pepper had told them. The possible-camp was a small frame of a two-leg building. Most of the stone structure was still intact except for a gap in the front and side. Vines covering it told them that no two-leg had been there in seasons. There was thick undergrowth surrounding the gray walls, shielding it somewhat from view. It sounded very similar to the Thunderclan camp, Wildclaw thought. Lightningstar nodded in agreement.

"It doesn't sound like we're going to find a better place than that. We'll have to wait to eat, seeing that it's too dark now."

By now the third group, led by Blaze, had gotten there and Heather and the orange tom had left, saying that they would be back in the morning.

The Earthclan cats followed Longears until they reached the structure that the black tom had described to them. It was exactly how he described it. Flamefur stepped into it and scented the air.

"It's empty."

"Of course it is, Longear and his patrol just checked it out."

Wildclaw muttered to himself and Flamefur continued.

"It's going to be an uncomfortable night. The queens, kits, Shinningwater and Dappleheart, and elders will go to the back to sleep with the warriors surrounding them. Dewbreeze, Stormpelt, Bristlefur, and I will stay up to guard."

He motioned for his daughter, Dewbreeze, and Stormpelt to get the side while he and Bristlefur guarded the front.

Wildclaw settled down near the outside of his clanmates and he curled up on the dirt. It was going to be a long night….


	9. Chapter 8 : Territory

Chapter 8

Territory

(Sunrise-Sun-high)

A sliver of light reached Wildclaw's eyes and his ear twitched. He was laying in the warrior's den with his other clanmates and everything was fine…

His eyes opened and he remembered that he wasn't in the warm warrior's den anymore. He stood up and looked around. Everyone else except the guards was still asleep. The sun was just peeking over the horizon. Wildclaw quietly walked over to where Flamefur was sitting.

"Anything out there?"

He asked and Flamefur shook his head, not saying anything.

"You all should get some rest. You're going to need it. I doubt anything with try something in the daylight."

Flamefur hesitated then nodded and lay down nearby. The other guards followed.

Wildclaw stretched and he could see the territory clearly for the first time. Lush green plants and tall trees surrounded them and he could hear birds chirping nearby. It was almost….peaceful.

He heard a rustling behind him and Dappleheart walked over to him and sat down.

"I wonder how we're going to share tongues with Starclan here and find herbs." She meowed, openly expressing her feelings. Wildclaw looked down at the small orange she-cat.

"Starclan will find a way and I'm sure there are herbs around here. There are bound to be plenty of two-leg gardens so you'll have loads of catmint."

Dappleheart nodded agreement but still looked worried.

"Yes, but herbs like marigold and poppy seeds are used nearly every day if it's from a battle, or a thorn."

Wildclaw nodded in understanding.

"Everything will work out."

By now a few others had begun to wake up including Lightningstar.

"Wildclaw, you can lead a hunting patrol with Stripedtail, Fangfur, Starshine, and Whitepaw. Stay in the forested area. No further."

Those were the only other cats awake at this moment. Wildclaw nodded to Lightningstar and he turn in the direction of the giant Weeping Willow tree. As he suspected there were squirrels scampering around and in it.

Fangfur crouched and sprung forward at the nearest one. There was no use in using stealth since they already saw them.

Wildclaw leapt forward towards a fat squirrel that began to scamper up the thick trunk. He leapt forward with his claws outstretched and he pulled the squirrel down. It gave off a frightened squeak before it lay limp. Fangfur had also managed to catch a squirrel.

"Nice catches, both of you."

Stripedtail meowed with an approving nod. Whitepaw looked around with his eyes wide, examining their new territory.

"I smell a mouse!"

He meowed and burst forward towards the scent. Wildclaw quickly scrapped some dirt over the squirrel before following the white apprentice. Whitepaw crouched down and kept near the thickest undergrowth as he crept towards the small brown shape of a mouse. With his white pelt he usually had the hardest time hunting in Green-Leaf, but he was a quick learner. With a pounce he landed on it, killing it instantly. Whitepaw held the mouse proudly and dropped it to say something when he let out a screech as a dark brown object landed on top of him.

"Whitepaw!"

Wildclaw yowled and ran down the slope towards him. The brown cat hissed and four more cats jumped from the bushes.

"So, there are new cats that have come here!"

A sturdy looking black tom growled. "Nothing happens without the Shadow Stalkers knowing about it!"

The tom hissed and collided with Wildclaw, spitting. Wildclaw snarled and raked his claws down the black tom's side, but it hardly seemed to faze him. The black tom whirled around and slashed sharp claws across his chest. Wildclaw hissed in pain and rammed his head into the tom's side, making him stumble. That gave him enough time to assess the situation.

Whitepaw was battling fiercely against a mean-looking gray she-cat. She lunged, and he nimbly swerved to the side, dodging. Stripedtail was struggling under the claws of a huge orange tabby tom. Stripedtail didn't have time to strike before he was pummeled to the ground. Fangfur and Starshine were fighting side by side against two she-cats. The black tom regained his footing and lunged back at Wildclaw with a hiss. Wildclaw snarled and jumped to the side, avoiding the slashing claws and clawing at the tom's hind leg. He yowled in pain and his eyes turned into dark slits of hatred. "You'll pay for that." He breathed and crouched down, ready to spring. Wildclaw positioned himself, ready for the attack.

These cats were well-fed, fit, and were well-rested. The Earthclan patrol hadn't eaten for awhile and was still tired from the high-stressful journey they had taken. The black tom screeched as a brown tabby tom leapt on him, followed by a calico she-cat, a dirty looking tan tom, and a dark gray tom.

"Shadow Stalkers, back!"

The black tom yowled and turned and ran. "Show your mangy face here again, Solstice, and you won't get it back!"

The brown tabby tom snarled then looked at Wildclaw. Wildclaw sighed in relief.

"Pepper. Good timing."

Pepper nodded and looked at the other Earthclan cats.

"Nobody seems too injured."

Wildclaw looked around at his patrol and was relieved to see that none of the injuries were major. Wildclaw looked at the tan tom standing near Pepper.

"You already have met Heather and Flash. This gruff tom is Copper."

Copper blinked his bright yellow eyes in greeting and he shook his medium-long ruffled hair. Wildclaw nodded back.

"So who was that cat named Solstice? He was obviously a member of the Shadow Stalkers."

Pepper nodded.

"The Shadow Stalkers are led by Strike and Twilight. They're mates and their son is Solstice. They're not cats to mess with, believe me."

"We need to get back to our camp."

Pepper smiled.

"So you've found a place for a camp then? That's good."

He flicked his tail and headed in the direction of the camp. Wildclaw cocked his head in wonderment.

"How do you know where it is?"

He asked, keeping any suspicion out of his meow. Pepper looked back at him with a grin.

"Nothing happens without us knowing about it."

He continued up the slope and in the direction of the camp. Wildclaw and Stripedtail exchanged glances and they both knew what it was about. Both Pepper and Solstice used the same words. Wildclaw shook his head and followed Pepper. He and Fangfur bound a different direction to fetch their squirrels.

Wildclaw uncovered his squirrel and began to turn away when Fangfur meowed, "Don't you think that it's a little weird that Pepper and his followers accepted us so easily?" Wildclaw thought a moment then nodded.

"Yes. No cat, no matter how kind, wouldn't want or accept so many cats into their territory right away."

The two toms were silent for a moment before Fangfur shook his head.

"I must have bees in my brain or something. Let's just get back to camp."

The two toms ran side-by-side back to camp.


	10. Chapter 9 : Suspicion

Chapter 8

Suspicion

(Sun-high)

Wildclaw and Fangfur walked back into their new camp after the others had. Shinningwater and Dappleheart had found some cobwebs and were pressing them onto the cat's wounds.

Dappleheart walked over to the two toms. "Anything serious?"

She asked her eyes wide with worry. With no herbs right now they couldn't afford to get serious injuries.

"No."

Wildclaw meowed and Fangfur shook his head. Dappleheart nodded and took a wad of sticky cobwebs and pressed them onto Wildclaw's shoulder, were long claw marks bore down it.

Wildclaw watched as Lightningstar walked over to Pepper, Heather, Flash, and Copper and he dipped his head to them. He watched as Heather looked away almost….guiltily.

Wildclaw's eyes narrowed and he noticed that Fangfur had caught the same thing. The gray tabby tom flicked his tail, summoning Wildclaw over towards the edge of the camp. Wildclaw noted that while they were gone the construction of some dens had started. They were probably the nursery and elder's dens.

"Get a few others that you trust and go to the Weeping Willow Tree."

Wildclaw didn't ask any questions and he made his way over to Thornpelt. "Thornpelt, find Spottedpelt and tell her to go with you to the Weeping Willow Tree." Thornpelt looked puzzled.

"Why? Is something wrong?" His amber eyes narrowed in worry. "Possibly. Just bring her. You know where it is."

He headed off and found Bristlefur.

"Bristlefur, come with me."

He meowed and the ruff brown tom followed without a word. Bristlefur was a good friend of his, and he trusted him with his life. The two toms made their way to the Weeping Willow unnoticed. Wildclaw pushed his way through the thick vine-like things that hung down to the ground and saw that Thornpelt and Spottedpelt were already there. Fangfur sat close by with his mate Mistcloud. Fangfur began.

"Something is weird about Pepper and his friends. I know that I'm not the only one who feels that way."

He looked at Wildclaw and he nodded agreement.

"Think about it. Would a large group of cats so quickly _welcome _a huge group of stranger cats?There are already the Shadow Stalkers in this two-leg place plus kittypets."

Everyone was silent until Bristlefur answered, "No. Not without a good reason, they wouldn't."

"I think that we should keep our eyes open around these cats and keep this to ourselves. We don't want our clanmates to be talking together openly about it. Someone could be listening in."

The others nodded agreement and stood up.

"Let's get back before someone notices that we're gone."

Spottedpelt meowed and the six cats walked out from under the great tree to come face-to-face with Pepper with an Earthclan patrol.

"I wondered where you all ran off too. Lightningstar asked for me to come with this hunting patrol to make sure everything stays ok."

Wildclaw nodded. "We were just checking out this tree. We wanted to make sure that the fox burrow was empty."

That was somewhat the truth; after all there was a burrow with the stale scent of fox surrounding it.

Pepper twitched his ear.

"With a queen?" He asked, recognizing Mistcloud.

Mistcloud stepped forward. "That's right, Pepper. You know how she-cats with kits are. If someone tells them that the fox is gone, they have to make sure and see it with their own eyes."

Pepper grinned and nodded.

"They all are like that, aren't they?"

He chuckled lightly before looking at the cats behind him; Whiskertail, Silvermoon, and Mouselegs.

"We'd better be off then. There's prey to catch!"

He flicked his tail and headed down the sloped ground with the patrol following. Thornpelt snorted.

"He does seem a little easy-going, doesn't he?"

Wildclaw nodded agreement.

"Come on, let's get back to camp."

He turned and headed up the slope, back towards the camp. When they arrived they were immediately sent onto duties. Spottedpelt, Wildclaw, Stonepaw, Greypaw, and Whitepaw were chosen to collect moss for the dens. The nursery and elder's dens were nearly complete. The nursery didn't take long to build. There was a fallen log near the back wall of the camp that would be a suitable place for a den. The den was deep and had plenty of room for the kits and their mothers. Longears and Eagleclaw were patching up a few small holes with twigs and leaves. One end of the log was pressed against the two-leg wall, so the only work that had to be done there was putting a few leaves in the cracks.

Wildclaw looked at his mate and the apprentices.

"Alright, let's go. I think I know a decent spot where some moss might be."

He turned and ran out of the camp and he led everyone to the group of boulders. "This will be a good landmark, so it should have a name."

Spottedpelt commented.

"How about Skystone?" Greypaw meowed, her bright yellow eyes looking hopeful.

She jumped on top of them and looked around.

"They're stones, and it feels like you can touch the sky!"

Wildclaw climbed up until he stood next to her. A surprisingly strong wind tugged at their fur. The ground here was elevated greatly. It was probably the tallest point of The Hill.

"I think the name suits it nicely. I'll suggest it to Lightningstar when we get back."

He and Greypaw climbed carefully down from the massive boulders.

"Here's some moss!"

Stonepaw meowed happily and he began to carefully rip the moss up from the ground using his claws. When he was done there was hardly any dirt on it and some of the roots were left so it would grow make soon.

"Nice job, Stonepaw." He praised and the young tom beamed at him.

Wildclaw went over to a thick patch of moss and expertly pulled the moss up. He repeated this until he thought he couldn't carry any more. He saw that the others were nearly done so he bent down to pick up his big bundle.

"I don't think we can carry any more." He meowed and picked it up.

The others did the same and they all stood there for a moment, admiring the view. One-by-one they walked away from Skystone and back towards camp….

The moss gathering patrol walked back into the camp and headed over to the now done nursery and he dropped his bundle and looked at the apprentices.

"Greypaw, with your bundle, mine, and Spottedpelt's it should be enough for the nursery. Stonepaw, Whitepaw, you can bring yours over to the elder's den, even if it's not finished yet."

The two brothers nodded and headed away while the other three padded into the warm nursery. With the three of them they quickly formed two large nests for the two queens and a few smaller nests for the kits.

"I'll go get Mistcloud and Squirrelfur. The kits are probably exhausted." Spottedpelt meowed and hurried out of the den.

Greypaw looked up at Wildclaw and meowed, "Can I go now?"

"Yea, sure."

Greypaw turned and trotted out of the den just as Squirrelfur and Mistcloud arrived with their kits.

"Thank you for the moss."

Squirrelfur meowed to Wildclaw, who nodded in return. Bluekit, Volekit, and Ashkit settled down by their mother, Mistcloud, while Breezekit and Swiftkit by Squirrelfur.

"But I'm not…tired…." Ashkit grumbled but plopped onto one of the new nests and was instantly asleep.

Wildclaw grinned and quietly walked out. He noticed that Longears and Eagleclaw had constructed a block for in front of the entrance. Thick vines hung down the entrance and Wildclaw saw that they were stuck under pieces of bark to hold them in place. Smart.

Wildclaw thought and padded towards the fresh-kill pile. His stomach growled viciously as he only saw two mice on the pile. His heart soared as he saw the hunting patrol, with Pepper, come in. Whiskertail was holding a big pigeon in his mouth, Silvermoon two mice, and Mouselegs a squirrel. Pepper was also holding a finch in his mouth. The prey was dropped on the pile and Wildclaw looked at Lightningstar, who was close by. The lean black tom nodded to him to eat and he chose the finch. He would share it with someone. He looked around and saw Flamefur sitting alone. He walked over to the orange tom and dropped the finch near him.

"Want to share?"

He knew that Flamefur hadn't eaten since Wildclaw had, either.

The deputy nodded and bent forward, taking a big bite of it and pushing it towards Wildclaw. Wildclaw took a bit the same size and pushed it back with his paw. This continued until all that was left of the plump bird was a small trace of grey feathers.

"Thanks." Flamefur meowed and walked over to the entrance of the camp to send some more patrols out and organize the day.

Wildclaw saw that the elders den had been finished and that the construction of the warrior's den had begun.

Shinningwater and Dappleheart stood in front of a small squared off section of the stone two-leg wall.

"I wonder what it was for." Dappleheart meowed and Shinningwater shrugged.

Wildclaw walked over to them and looked it.

"It looks like those things that some of the two-legs have on the side of their dens. (A chimney)"

It wasn't high and as he looked up he saw that it was covered by something. He stepped into the square area and yowled in surprise as his front paws suddenly touched air. He tumbled forwards until he hit the ground again. He opened his eyes and looked behind him and stood up.

"Wildclaw!"

He heard Dappleheart shriek and he poked his out of the hole in the ground.

"I'm alright. I guess those leaves and branches hid it from view. It goes back a ways, so I'm going to check it out."

"I'll come too." Shinningwater meowed and disappeared in the hole in the ground.

With Wildclaw in the front, they walked forward a foxlength until it opened up. Light streamed through cracks on the ceiling so they were able to see it clearly. The area wasn't big, but it wasn't small either. It was at least a foxlength (1 yard) wide and two and a half foxlengths long.

"This is perfect for a medicine cat den!" Shinningwater meowed excitedly.

By now most of the cats were around the outside of the entrance and Lightningstar, Flamefur, and Dappleheart walked in and looked around.

"It looks like this is now your den, Shinningwater." Lightningstar meowed with a smile.


	11. Chapter 10 : Taken

Chapter 10

Taken

(Sun-high – Sun-fall)

Dappleheart, Flamefur, Wildclaw, Stormpelt, Stripedtail, and Heather were walking deeper into two-leg place. Heather had told them that she knew a few of the herbs Shinningwater had mentioned a few of the herbs that they would need and Heather said that she knew where a few of them were. Shinningwater had stayed back at camp to get the new medicine cat den prepared for all of the herbs that were hopefully going to be brought back. The calico she-cat said that they would meet up with Pepper shortly. Wildclaw noticed that Flamefur seemed to like that fact. The two toms have been getting along surprisingly well.

"Not much further now." Heather meowed and Flamefur nodded.

The patrol was keeping to the sides of the two-leg dens and Wildclaw constantly kept giving a 360 degree sweep of his gaze of all the surrounding area. The tabby form of Pepper emerged from behind a two-leg thing that the rouges called a "shed" and he walked over to them.

"Greetings, Earthclan cats." He meowed in his usual happy and casual tone. "This way, please."

Pepper look the lead of the patrol and led them towards a white two-leg den. He motioned with his tail towards a group of plants growing in a square.

"What is it?" Dappleheart asked.

"It's called a garden. Two-legs grow them for food. Heather knows where some herbs are."

Heather nodded and stepped forward and looked at some bright yellow flowers.

"There's the marigold that you were looking for. There's plenty of that."

Heather was right. There were at least four large bundles of it surrounding the den.

"Over by that shed over there is some catmint and poppy seeds." Dappleheart nodded and looked at Flamefur.

"Flamefur and Stormpelt, you come with me to get some marigold. Wildclaw, you go get the catmint, but not too much of it. Stripedtail can get the poppy seeds. Grab as many of those as you can."

The dark brown tom nodded and the cats hurried off. Wildclaw trotted alongside Stripedtail and they made their way to the shed, which was next to the two-leg den. Wildclaw easily found the catmint by it strong scent.

"Wildclaw, look."

Stripedtail meowed and they looked up at the big den. A long-haired gray tom was looking down at them with wide eyes.

"A kittypet."

Wildclaw meowed and twitched his ear before he noticed that it looked terrified. The gray tom was shaking his head at them then looked towards Pepper and Heather then back at them. The two cats were standing a good distance away from Wildclaw. Wildclaw narrowed his eyes. Was this a warning? Wildclaw looked across the yard into a different window and saw another cat looking even more terrified. What was going on?

"Stripedtail, I need to talk to that kittypet."

He whispered to him and Stripedtail hesitated before nodding.

"Fine, but hurry."

Wildclaw nodded and hurried off towards the entrance. There was a small door just big enough for him to fit through. It groaned as he pushed his way through it, telling that it hadn't been used for a long time. But why? He couldn't answer that himself as he made his way up some sort of steps. Wildclaw peered through an open door and scents flooded at him. He began to creep out until he shot back to where he was. He cautiously peered around the corner again to see a big yellow dog. Wildclaw shook his head in disgust. How could a cat stand living with a dog? The dog was asleep so he ran past it and walked into another room. The floor here was soft under his paws and he saw the tom from a moment ago. The gray cat whipped around and hissed. At that second two more shapes jumped at him and pushed him to the ground.

"Do you think that you can just walk into our home without asking?"

A she-cat hissed.

"Get off me!"

Wildclaw meowed and easily pushed the cats off him. He stood up in front of three bristling cats.

"Great…"

He muttered and forced himself to relax his fur so that he didn't look as hostile. These cats looked totally different compared to him. His large, muscular frame was nothing like the small, clean shapes of these kittypets. He realized that not all kittypets were small; they were just born that way.

"What has Strike sent to do now?"

The smallest calico she-cat growled, her fur fluffing up to make her look twice her size. The tom stepped forward and shook his head at the she-cat.

"He's not with the Shadow Stalkers, or Pepper. They're just more victims."

He growled with a shake of his head. Wildclaw's fur bristled instantly.

"Victims? What do you mean?"

The she-cats furs were settling down. A second white and calico she-cat looked petrified standing in front of Wildclaw. He eyes were as round as the moon and she stood tense and ready to run if needed. Wildclaw shuffled his paws and she flinched, about to spring off.

"You are definently not from around here. How many of you are there?"

Wildclaw hesitated before answering, "a lot."

The tom nodded. "That would explain all of the movement that has been going on with the Shadow Stalkers. They are moving twice as much as usual, and much more during the day."

"What do they plan to do with us?"

He asked and suddenly the big yellow dog ran trotting in. Wildclaw hissed and crouched down in defensive position.

"Relax."

The gray cat meowed with a slight grin of amusement. "He's one of the reasons why the Shadow Stalkers don't come around us much. He knows who is good and who's bad. That' also why Pepper and heahter stayed far back."

"How do you know about Pepper and Heather?"

Just then Stripedtail ran around the corner.

"Stripedtail!" Wildclaw exclaimed in surprise.

"Wildclaw, we have to go, now. Pepper's looking for us. I heard everything too."

Wildclaw could see that his clanmate knew that something was strange with these helpful rouges.

Wildclaw nodded and looked back at the three kittypets.

"We have to go, but we'll be back later."

The small she-cat shook her head. "No! You can't come back here! They'll be watching you and us!"

Wildclaw opened his mouth to say something but Stripedtail burst in.

"Wildclaw, now!"

He turned and ran towards where they came in.

"Thanks for your help." Wildclaw meowed to the kittypets and turned and ran.

"Wait! What's your name?"

The tom asked and Wildclaw answered, "Wildclaw."

"I'm Zack and this is Callie and Maisey."

Wildclaw nodded then turned and ran out. The big yellow dog was waiting for him at the entrance and he looked at him with floppy ears.

"Weird…." Wildclaw muttered and disappeared out of the door.

He rounded the corner in a flash and stopped next to Stripedtail, trying to look as though he wasn't out of breath. Pepper appeared from the corner with Heather.

"Ah, there you are! Were did you two run off too?"

Wildclaw swollen and answered, "We saw some birds so we went after them. We weren't able to catch any though."

Pepper paused before nodded.

"Bad luck, eh. Lets get going then."

He turned and headed towards where Dappleheart and Flamefur were. Heather stayed where she was before following Pepper. Wildclaw and Stripedtail picked up their herb bundles and trotted after her. Wildclaw gazed towards the window and saw Zack looking out at him with worried eyes. Wildclaw looked away and met up with the group. The patrol started to head back and after a few moments Pepper stopped and looked at Flamefur.

"I actually think I know where some more herbs are. Wildclaw and Stripedtail could come with me to collect some more. Heather and I can carry their bundles."

Flamefur nodded instantly and looked at the two toms.

"Go."

Wildclaw and Stripedtail dropped their herb bundles and trotted off after Pepper. Pepper was leading them back in the direction they came and they rounded a few new shed. "Almost there." The tabby tom meowed and stopped suddenly as two cats stood in front of them. Two more walked behind them. Wildclaw hissed and unsheathed his claws. Pepper jumped on top of a fence and looked down at them.

"Pepper!"

Wildclaw snarled up at him, his eyes flashing. The brown tom looked down at them.

"I'm sorry, Wildclaw. If you didn't know so much this wouldn't have happened to you."

Stripedtail snarled and took a step forward, daring the cats to come forward. Wildclaw curled his lip and lunged for the top up on the fence and he grabbed onto his leg and pulled him down with a thud.

"You piece of crow-food!" He yowled and dug his claws into Pepper's back before a screech filled the air.

"Callie!"

Wildclaw yowled and he released Pepper and lunged at the cat in front of him. Stripedtail took the other and the two toms pelted forward. They couldn't go back now. Their clanmates would be outnumbered and they wouldn't be expecting it. Wildclaw heard a wild barking as they neared the two-leg den. The yellow dog came info view as did the other Shadow Stalker cats. Zack, Maisey, and Callie were being pushed away by four vicious looking cats. Zack had snarled and pushed one of them to the ground and swiped at the other one, but was held down with an iron grip. The dog was growling and jumping at the nearest cat, a small gray tom, who screeched in pain as he was thrown away like a mouse. The tom lay motionless on a thunder-path with blood covering his fur. The dog charged at them, but actually realized who they were. At the moment of the dog's hesitation three cats lunged at him and dug their claws in anywhere they could. The dog yelped and grabbed on cats tail and began to drag it. The cat dug his claw pitifully into the ground as he was pulled, just making it worse for him.

Wildclaw leapt at a very white she-cat and she collapsed from the impact of his weight. Another dog's barking sounded and a huge black dog came running towards the yellow dog. The yellow dog turned to him with a snarl and they collided with each other in a vicious wrestle. Wildclaw's eyes were wide with surprise and anger. He had never seen a dog fighting another dog and especially cats and dogs working together. Two-leg place was truly a mad place. Claw dug in his back as two cats pushed him down, face first into the ground.

"Move and we'll shred you."

A tom hissed and they pushed him towards where Stripedtail, Zack, Callie, and Maisey were all huddled, surrounded by cats.

All three of the kittypets bore wounds that showed that they tried to protect themselves against the brutal attacks, but were unsuccessful. "I'm sorry." He breathed to the kittypets.

"No, this isn't just because of you. We've helped cats escape from them before more than once. They've finally had enough of it, especially when it dealt with such a large group of cats."

Callie watched as the yellow dog was pushed back against the two-leg building and collapsed besides it.

"No!"

She yowled and tried to get away from her captors, but couldn't. A low, deep barking came from the yard next door and a huge multi colored dog with a white muzzle appeared. He snarled something them growled and the black dog that stood in front of the other stepped back. The black dog snarled finally and turned and ran. Callie sighed relief.

"That dog's name is Twister. He doesn't like the cats any more than we do."

"Let's go."

A black cat growled and Wildclaw noticed him from an earlier encounter.

"Hello again, Heather."

He growled as the calico she-cat fell into step besides the other guards. Heather looked at Wildclaw and looked quickly away.

"It's not what you think." She meowed quietly and Wildclaw snarled and slammed into her side, plowing her over.

"Then tell me about it!"

Two cats grabbed his scruff and pulled him off her with difficulty and the larger of the two slashed his claws across his muzzle.

"Do that again and I'll shred your ears."

Wildclaw growled and fell into step besides Stripedtail. Stripedtail kept on shaking his head.

"How could we have been so mouse-brained?"


End file.
